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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a document
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a ring
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. file — a tool
  22. band — a music group
  23. last — final
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com